Pages

a time to mourn

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Not our proudest moment, America. What a sad, sad moment in our history. This isn’t the first likely innocent man that has been executed, and as long as the death penalty remains legal, he will not be the last. A time to mourn. I won’t begin to speculate on Troy’s faith, but I really hope that today, he’s with Jesus. Free.

I mourn Troy’s death with many, but here’s a picture you likely won’t see all over the news today. Mostly because this guy was guilty. Of a particularly heinous crime. He’s dead now as well. But he shouldn’t be. Because a country as progressive, as modern, as ‘Christian’, and the true point here, as fallible as ours should not be putting people to death. Troy Davis proves that we’re doing this all wrong. And if we’re doing it all wrong for Troy, then it’s all wrong for Lawrence Brewer too. I don’t know Lawrence Brewer’s faith either. In my more selfish moments, I’d prefer to not share eternity with someone like him. But does my God redeem? Does He restore? Does he give a second chance to the most heinous among us? Me? I hope I see Lawrence in heaven too. Because that means that my God is big enough, loving enough, irresistible enough, that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough that even the worst among us are washed clean, made new, forgiven, and walking in freedom. When our country is full of failure and sorrow and shame, I still serve a God who is bigger than that. Someday I’ll meet Him face to face. Someday all this will be made right, but in the meantime I mourn. I believe God is mourning today as well.